Ground Zero: How Personal Pain Can Help You Create A Better Life
By Doug Bennett, with special guest, Aaron Chapman
We’ve all hit what feels like the lowest point in our lives before. But what happens when your rock bottom isn’t actually the bottom?
I’d love to introduce you to Aaron Chapman, an expert in real estate investment finance. Aaron has been to ground zero – not just once but twice. Somehow, he managed to bounce back and use these less-than-ideal moments to catapult his career.
You can hear our full conversation on the Goals Do Come True podcast.
I was intrigued to find out and share with you what these moments meant and how they inspired him to set better goals.
Hitting ground zero
Aaron’s plunge to rock bottom began when he first lost his job as a miner and had to rummage for coins in a parking lot just to afford petrol and nappies. Although he dusted himself off and started a new career as a telemarketer, he had no idea that something even worse was coming his way.
Aaron: “On the 8th of August, 2008, I was running down the highway, and I got taken out by a 17-year-old in his dad’s truck. I woke up at midnight in the hospital bed without the use of my legs and my right arm. What’s worse, my memory was resetting every three minutes. I couldn’t even think right. So, I had to start all over again from nothing. Before the crash, I had started doing pretty well for myself. But I was wheeled out of that hospital a few weeks later with a negative net worth of $1.5 million. I lost weight and went from 190 pounds to 156 pounds, and I could not even walk. It was at that point that I decided to listen to the people who had been telling me about the importance of writing down goals.”
In 2004, I started writing all of my goals down in a little 59p red notebook. But that little booklet got tucked away somewhere, and I soon forgot all about it… for seven years. One day it resurfaced, and after reviewing the goals I had written down for old times’ sake, I was amazed to find that I had completed 10 out of the 11 goals!
Going further in life
One thing that stood out about Aaron’s story is that even after he started setting better goals and writing them down, it still wasn’t a smooth ride. He encountered setback after setback.
But Aaron was quick to point out that these setbacks only helped him get further in life.
Aaron: “It’s amazing how sometimes the worst thing that happens to you could turn out to be the best thing ever. Losing my memory and everything else helped me become better in business because I had to write everything down to retrain my memory. I eventually became a technical rescue for the sheriff’s office, conducting hundreds of rescues. So, all of these tragic experiences actually propelled me to do something more than I’d have ever done if I hadn’t experienced those setbacks.”
What to do when you get knocked down
There will be times when life knocks you down, and it seems like you’ll never achieve your goals (check out my previous blog on how to overcome challenges and move ahead). Aaron has a fascinating – and perhaps slightly controversial – philosophy on how to persevere in these scenarios:
Aaron: “The absolute necessity for goals is to get your ass beat. You cannot achieve what you need to achieve unless you get an ass-whooping coming. It’s amazing how many people start moving towards their goal, get knocked to the ground, and stay there, licking their wounds. That wasn’t for me. These setbacks mean you’re being tested to see if you’re willing to go for what you wanted. Are you going to get back up and do this?”
The subconscious chainsaw
If you’ve followed my previous podcasts and blogs, you’ll realise that I’m pretty big on controlling our thoughts and emotions. Our subconscious plays a significant role in the way our goals – and life in general – pan out.
Aaron likens it to a chainsaw – one of the coolest yet most dangerous tools known to man.
Aaron: “Growing up as a kid, the chainsaw was the coolest, most powerful and elegant hand tool ever created by man. But it’s also the most dangerous. If you use it incorrectly for a split second, it will kill you. It does not discern between wood and flesh. It just does its job. And it’s just like our brains. The most elegant, powerful, and creative tool is the human mind. If you misuse it for a split second, it destroys everything around you. That’s why you’ve got to have control of your brain, your mouth, and your actions. But it all begins with your thoughts. You have to control your thoughts before you control anything else.”
Don’t waste time
Aaron’s passion and determination will take him far. He already has a big, hairy, audacious goal – to become the face of real estate investment worldwide. His final golden nugget gives us a sneak peek into the other goals he’s set his sights on.
Aaron: “We are connected beings, and we can’t help but get sucked into things that waste our time. But we need to have things that draw us elsewhere. There are so many important issues going on in the world that we need to wrap our heads around. Figure out where you want to affect change and be so driven by it that you can’t sit still. Take action and stay engaged – even if it’s just talking about it or spreading awareness on Instagram. This way, you’ll always be moving for a purpose other than yourself.”
Has Aaron’s story inspired you to move forward with your life’s purpose and goals in the midst of adversity? I’d love to hear about it. Drop me a line at doug@dougbennett.co.uk, and if you’d like an extra dose of weekly inspiration, join The Wealth Tribe here.